News
Carol Hess Joins Messiah Village
Messiah Village announces the hiring of Carol Hess as Vice President of Human Resources. Hess will direct team recruitment, retention and development efforts at Messiah Village.
“Carol Hess comes with extensive experience related to human resources, team building, and organizational development. We are pleased she has joined our team and really appreciate her warm, friendly, comfortable and fun style of relating,” commented Dr. Emerson Lesher, President of Messiah Village.
“I am excited to join such a forward-thinking organization that is focused on providing excellent care for our residents while creating an enriching work environment for our team members,” responded Carol Hess, VP of Human Resources.
Carol worked for Lancaster Laboratories for 18 years. When she left she was Executive Vice President and was responsible for human resources of a staff of over 600 persons. Most recently Carol was Manager of the Human Resources/Customer Relations Management Group for Cargas Systems in Lancaster, PA. While working at Cargas, Carol consulted and coached a number of aging services providers. During this time she learned about and experienced an increased personal passion to help transform organizations to a person-centered, community-minded way of living and working.
Carol has a BS degree from Ursinus College and an MBA from Saint Joseph’s University. She has chaired and served on many boards including the Brethren Village Board of Directors in Lititz, PA, the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the United Way of Lancaster County. Carol also helped to found the state wide Best Places to Work in PA program.
Messiah Village Wins Worldwide Award for
Democracy in the Workplace
WorldBlu has announced that Messiah Village is one of 44 organizations globally named to the WorldBlu List of Most Democratic WorkplacesTM in 2010. Messiah Village is the only retirement community that made this year’s list and one of two Pennsylvania organizations.
What is particularly tremendous about this award is that it is based on how Messiah Village employees rate their workplace based on 10 principles of workplace democracy, including transparency, dialogue and listening, integrity, accountability and choice on a leadership, individual, and systems and processes level.
This is the first time Messiah Village has applied for this award. The WorldBlu List is comprised of organizations in the for-profit, non-profit, and government sectors that used the WorldBlu Democratic Workplace Scorecard™ and scored in the top level. The WorldBlu List is a list, not a ranking, and is announced annually each April as a part of Democracy in the Workplace Day.
WorldBlu defines an organizational democracy as a system of organization that is based on freedom instead of fear and control. It’s a way of designing organizations to amplify the possibilities of human potential – and the organization as a whole. To learn more, visit www.worldblu.com.
Hear what Dr. Emerson Lesher, president of Messiah Village,and employees have to say about this award.
Mount Joy Country Homes Breaks Ground on First Phase of New Cottages
April 13, 2010
Mount Joy Country Homes (Country Homes), an affiliate of Messiah Village, has broken ground on its first phase of a multi-year expansion project.
Country Homes has received borough approval to move forward with its multi-year expansion plan that will transform the 8-acre retirement community to a 34-acre community with 114 cottages, a community center, assisted living, and commercial space. The first phase of this expansion project has begun with the addition of 10 new cottages. The new cottages are expected to be completed this fall. Reservations are being accepted now.
“We are thrilled to be breaking ground on the first ten cottages. There has been good interest in these new moderately-priced and maintenance-free cottages located in the Mount Joy Borough. People love our quiet setting, while still being close to downtown,” remarked Carl Ginder, Board Chair of Country Homes.
Country Homes is an active adult community that provides a unique living option for older adults. Residents will enjoy living in maintenance-free homes designed specifically to allow them to age in place. Coordinated supportive services such as housekeeping, home health services, transportation, and more are available if needed. Country Homes is a moderately-priced living option for active adults who are not seeking the full amenities of a traditional retirement community. Residents pay a partially refundable entrance fee and a monthly fee.
The cottages are designed to the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) National Green Building Program Bronze standard – featuring Energy Star appliances, energy efficient furnace, water heater, and windows, and environmentally friendly materials.
More information about this expansion plan is available at www.mjch.org. The community is also invited to visit Country Homes Design Center at 613 Ivy Drive, Mount Joy PA. Call 717-653-2356 for an appointment.
Currently, Country Homes includes 39 cottages and a community center. This retirement community, founded in 1984, is an affiliate of Messiah Village in Mechanicsburg, PA – www.MessiahVillage.org. Country Homes is located at the corner of Donegal Springs Road and Union School Road in Mount Joy.
From Humble Generosity:
Messiah Village Receives Largest Gift Ever
Messiah Village announces receiving its largest monetary gift in its 114-year history. The generous $860,000 gift comes from the trust of former resident Norman Asper who passed away in May 2000. Norman and his wife Elizabeth lived the humblest of lives in the smallest studio apartment at Messiah Village in order to support many ministries.
This generous gift is the lead gift for a major capital campaign to raise $2.5 million in support of renovations and additions to Messiah Village’s chapel and special care neighborhood. The remaining portion of the gift will be available for other capital improvements needs at Messiah Village.
“With this generous gift, we have received the contributions needed to complete construction on the new additions,” commented Dr. Emerson Lesher, President of Messiah Village. “We are grateful to Mr. Asper for his sacrificial giving and the legacy he leaves. He had the foresight to create a trust when he sold his farm twenty years ago. Now, ten years after his passing, he is able to positively impact the ministries he was so dedicated to serving during his life.”
Mr. Asper worked on the Pennsylvania railroad as a baggage man on the night shift. He and his wife Susan attended various Brethren in Christ congregations throughout their life where he served as a deacon and Sunday School teacher. A few years after his wife’s passing, he married Elizabeth who was a nurse at Messiah Home and later Messiah Village. In January1989, Norman and Elizabeth moved to Messiah Village where they chose to live in the humblest of living accommodations. They were known for their frugality and generosity. Elizabeth, who was a former nurse at Messiah Home and Messiah Village, would often purchase used clothing items at the Village Clothing Sale in order to have more money to send to missionaries.
This gift will help fund a new Chapel entrance allowing direct access to the Chapel and diverting foot traffic away from a nursing neighborhood. A new addition will also be added to the Special Care neighborhood providing residents needing memory support with access to more windows and more inviting, spacious, and familial dining and lounging areas. Learn more about the capital campaign that this gift and the gift that many other donors will make possible.
A Tight Knit Group: Messiah Students and Retirees Bond in Monthly Meetings at Messiah Village
Student-run group hosted by Pathways Institute for Lifelong Learning
On a typical Friday evening, most people would not expect to see college students hanging out at a retirement community. However, on the first Friday evening of the month, you can find students from Messiah College eating pizza and knitting with members of the Pathways Institute, a group of Messiah Village residents and community members often three generations older than the student volunteers.
Each month, the Tabitha’s knitters – a student-organized ministry at Messiah College – join Pathways Institute members at Messiah Village for pizza and needlework for one hour to knit hats, mittens, scarves and other warm items that are donated to residents of Harrisburg area shelters. Tabitha’s allows students to interact with older adults who can share their stories and wisdom, while knitting and crocheting for a good cause. Since last fall, Tabitha’s knitters have donated more than 100 items to Bethesda Women and Children’s Shelter, with half of their donations coming from the Village’s faithful knitters.
“We certainly couldn’t help as many people as we do without the Pathways Institute members. Every time we meet with them, they have a whole bagful of beautiful, warm items to give us,” said Joy Oakes, coordinator for Tabitha’s.
But their work doesn’t stop there. On a regular basis, you’ll find the Tabitha’s knitters at Bethesda Women and Children’s Shelter, teaching the women to make hats on the knitter looms. Some made hats for themselves, others for their soon-to-be-born babies.
“It’s hard to say who is impacted more: the knitters or the women at the shelter,” said Oakes. “It’s such an eye-opening, wonderful experience for the knitters. And you could see women’s confidence and pride growing with the length of the hats.”
The Pathways Institute for Lifelong Learning hosts Tabitha’s. The Institute, created by Messiah Village, offers classes in various subjects, from Japanese garden art to the lives of Old Order Mennonites. The Institute is a unique program that gives residents from south central Pennsylvania who are 60 years of age and older opportunities to engage in mental, cultural and spiritual activities promoting their overall wellness. For more information about Pathways, visit messiahvillage.org/pathways.
Messiah Village Installs Living Roof
Messiah Village announces the installation of its first living roof. The new living roof was installed last week on top of a residential living apartment building on the Messiah Village campus. The public is invited to see the new roof during the Fall Festival on Saturday, September 12.
Carlisle SynTec, an expert in roof garden systems, installed the living roof. The 400 square foot roof is composed of several varieties of sedum that are expected to grow at different heights and provide a beautiful variety of blooms throughout the warm months. Sedum was selected because it is a hardy, succulent plant that is able to withstand intense roof heat and hold water reserves.
Messiah Village’s Green Team championed this effort. “We are starting small. We needed to replace the roof in our apartment building. Our roofing contractor, Houck & Co., was willing to work with us to find a way to add a small living roof for the same cost as a traditional roof. The new living roof was installed in such a way that we can add more sections in the future. Residents have been positive and inquisitive about this change.” commented Carl Ginder, VP of Strategic Development and member of the community’s Green Team.
Living roofs are expected to absorb up to 80% of the rainfall. The vegetation helps reduce storm water runoff and pollutants that run into area streams and rivers. It also increases the level of insulation. An added benefit is the beauty the new roof will bring to those who visit Messiah Village’s rooftop library.
Tours of Messiah Village’s new green living roof and the Village Commons will be held at 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 11 a.m. during the Fall Festival on Saturday, September 12. A complete Fall Festival schedule is available at www.messiahvillage.org. “Our Fall Festival is going green this year. With the help of our sponsor Xpedx®, we will be using all biodegradable or recyclable packaging to serve food and beverages at the Fall Festival,” commented Kristen Heisey, VP Marketing & Communication. Festival grounds open Saturday at 9 a.m. and close at 4 p.m. All events are open to the public with free admission and parking.
Messiah Village and its Green Team have been focused on many energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly initiatives including: completing an energy study to find ways to reduce energy consumption on campus, testing organic lawn fertilizers, purchasing two electric people movers for campus shuttles, adding a more robust recycling program and installing a registered monarch butterfly way station.
Messiah Village Resident "Out & About" with Chuck Rhodes
Messiah Village resident, Paul Fulk, was recently featured in the ABC 27 Out & About segment hosted by Chuck Rhodes. Paul was recognized for the many volunteer hours he has put in over the years.
Click on the link below to go to the WHTM website to learn more about this amazing Messiah Village resident.
Click here to see more
Messiah Village Voted
"Simply the Best – Long-term Care Facility for 2009"
Harrisburg Magazine has announced Messiah Village as “Simply the Best – Long-term Care Facility for 2009.” This is the seventh consecutive year Messiah Village has received a “Simply the Best” award.
Organizations are selected as “Simply the Best” based on a popular vote from Harrisburg Magazine readers. Votes are collected through paper ballots and online.
“We are honored to continue to receive this vote of confidence as the top retirement community in the greater Harrisburg region. I congratulate and recognize our staff and volunteers for helping to create this positive reputation in the community,” remarked Dr. Emerson Lesher, President of Messiah Village.
For the Love of Butterflies:
Messiah Village Establishes Monarch Waystation to Help Troubled Species
Messiah Village resident Dorothy Knowlton, affectionately known around the Village as “the butterfly lady,” nurtures and releases butterflies and champions a new registered monarch waystation at Messiah Village.
As a child, Dorothy Knowlton spent many summers strolling the New Jersey woodlands with her grandmother, learning the names of all the plants she encountered. Many years later, as a wife, mother, and avid gardener, she began collecting caterpillar eggs and nurturing them through their amazing metamorphosis.
Today, at Messiah Village she releases as many as 25-30 butterflies each summer. Once she spots an egg on a plant leaf, Dorothy carefully takes it home where she places it in a plastic pet-store container. Then, under her watchful eye, she witnesses the transformation process, intervening only if assistance is needed. “Butterflies are amazing creatures, designed by God first to die and then to be reborn. What a powerful symbol of new life.” Once the self-sufficient caterpillar emerges, it eats the egg and the leaf and prepares for the next stage of chrysalis.
Dorothy combines her hobby with a scholar’s appetite for scientific literature and reads everything she can about butterflies, especially Monarchs, who are currently facing a migration crisis. When asked how many butterflies she thinks she might have raised over the years, Dorothy just smiles and says she doesn’t have any idea. “Letting them go is a joy. I love helping them find their wings to fly.”
Thanks to the concerns of Dorothy Knowlton and neighbors Walter and Marge Leidig, Messiah Village has established a nationally recognized Monarch Waystation through the University of Kansas. Monarchs are facing a migration crisis due to a lack of wetlands along their route from North America to South America. Waystations like Messiah Village’s provide water, milkweed, and other vegetation that attracts them and helps them make their journey.
Marge’s daughter and son-in-law are scientists at Penn State University and helped make her aware of this issue. After attending a seminar on the monarch crisis, Marge was inspired to contact some Messiah Village staff and begin looking for a solution. Now that the waystation has been established, Marge is hopeful that volunteers will pitch in to help maintain the area and expand the plant offerings that will bring many butterflies to rest there. She also hopes that this special area will be helpful to the Children’s Family Center, a child care center located on the Messiah Village campus, as a tool for teaching young people about nature and the importance of environmental stewardship.
To learn more about the Monarch Waystation program, visit www.monarchwatch.org/ws
Messiah Village Volunteers Receive Presidential Volunteer Service Award
Local volunteers were recently honored for volunteering at Messiah Village. In total, 370 volunteers were honored for their 33,886 hours of service to Messiah Village over the last year. Ten volunteers were presented with the distinguished Gold President’s Volunteer Service Award and recognized by Mr. Bob Reilly, Deputy Chief of Staff to U.S. Congressman Todd Platts. Each of these volunteers has contributed over 500 hours of service to the Messiah Village community. Twenty-eight (28) volunteers received a silver award for 250 – 500 hours and sixty-six (66) received a bronze award for 100 – 249 hours of service.
Gold Award Recipients Pictured: Back Row left to right: Jay Swisher (Congressman Platts Office), Mildred Groff, Jerry Taylor, Dick O’Neill, Bob Reilly (Congressman Platts Office), Armeda Boscardin. Front Row left to right: Jane Long, Erla Stump, Betty O’Neill, Fannie Heisey, Lois Hutchison (Messiah Village Director of Volunteers). Not Pictured: Neil Bentzel, Ruth Slagenweit.
Peace Garden Installed
An anonymous donor has underwritten the initial installation of a peace garden facing the stained glass window of the Village Chapel. The garden provides a beautiful, natural space for meditation and prayer and will be dedicated in memory of the donor’s family. All of the plantings, benches, and fountains are specially designed so that they can be safely removed and replaced when planned renovations to the Chapel and Special Care Neighborhood are completed in 2-3 years. We hope that others will feel led to donate to future garden amenities so that this peace garden may grow and inspire all those who seek tranquility. While we are all anxious for the Connections campaign construction projects to begin, this portable peace garden offers a creative addition to campus as we wait to secure all the funds needed for the larger renovation. For more information on the Connections campaign projects, click here.
Messiah Village Participates 
in Electronics Recycling
On Friday, March 27, residents, employees and friends of Messiah Village dropped off old computers, printers, and phones to be recycled. In one day, 1500 lbs. of electronics equipment was collected and will be recycled.
Messiah Village Golden Mouse Club Featured on the News
After 35 years of predicting blizzards, thunderstorms, and everything in between, abc27-WHTM meteorologist Chuck Rhodes traded his weather maps for road maps – searching for positive people, places, and events around the mid-state. His short feature stories air twice each week during an evening news segment called, “Out and About.” On Monday, October 20, 2008, Rhodes found an especially positive story at Messiah Village where he spent more than 2 hours filming and interviewing members of the Golden Mouse Club (GMC) and examining how technology enhances life for older adults. The feature, which aired on Monday, November 3, includes footage of assisted living residents Velma Light and Esther Steinbrecher, and resident Dick O’Neill using a web camera to contact family members in Canada for live video chats. The segment also explains how staff member John Fry provided the inspiration to start a computer club at the Village. Throughout his visit, Rhodes marveled at the power technology has to benefit older adults. As Dick O’Neill noted, “I can visit London and tour museums on the computer without ever leaving my house. Retirement is a great time to get started with computers.” To view Chuck Rhodes’ “Golden Mouseketeers” segment, please visit the Golden Mouse Club website and click on the video on the bottom left.
Messiah Village Employee Speaks on Person Centered Care
Messiah Village Community Life Leader Jim Kinsey addressed a group of 400 health care professionals at the 4th Annual Pennsylvania Accord, a statewide conference sponsored by the Pennsylvania Culture Change Coalition. The coalition focuses on changing the environment of long-term care and taking away the institutional feel of assisted-living housing. Kinsey shared reflections from Messiah Village’s ongoing journey to person-centered care, including the recent transition from dining trays to fine dining.
Click here to read article in Pittsburgh Tribune.
Messiah Village Now Has a Certified Medical Director
in Long Term Care
Messiah Village and the Board of Directors of the American Medical Directors Certification Program (AMDCP) is proud to announce that Dr. Sarah Yazdi Noorbaksh, MD, CMD of Mechanicsburg, PA has been granted the title of Certified Medical Director in Long Term Care (CMD). Dr. Noorbaksh is one of more than 2,300 physicians nationwide who have received the CMD designation since the program’s inception.
Dr. Noorbaksh is the medical director for Messiah Village’s Nursing Home and is employed by Capital Area Health Associates, a subsidiary of Messiah Village. In her role, Dr. Noorbaksh serves as medical director and is also attending physician for many of Messiah Village’s residents. This certification makes Messiah Village one of the few nursing homes in the mid-state to have a nationally recognized physician who serves as medical director and attending physician.
The Certified Medical Director in Long Term Care program was created to enhance the profession of medical direction throughout the long term care continuum (e.g. nursing facilities, hospice, assisted living, home care, post-acute care) and to reinforce the leadership role of the medical director in providing quality care. The CMD program recognizes the dual clinical and management roles of the medical director and requires indicators of competence in both areas. The dual nature of the skills needed makes the position of medical director unique in medicine.
The certification process is based on an experiential model that incorporates mechanisms such as comprehensive courses in medical direction, continuing medical education programs and administrative experience to fulfill certification requirements.
Federal regulations and changes in the health care environment have established the role of the medical director as central to the delivery of quality care. The increased presence of managed care in long term care settings has emphasized credentialing, and CMD certification has taken on additional importance. The CMD designation provides an indicator of professional competence to long term care providers, government and other quality assurance agencies, consumers, and the public.
For further information about the CMD program, contact: American Medical Directors Certification Program, 11000 Broken Land Parkway, Suite 400, Columbia, MD 21044, call (410) 740-9743, or send an email to cmd@amda.com.
Messiah Village Expands to Mount Joy
Mount Joy Country Homes located at 501 Union School Road in Mount Joy, PA officially became an affiliate of Messiah Village in July. This affiliation will provide the resources needed for Mount Joy Country Homes to expand the 39 cottage retirement community.
Plans are underway to expand Mount Joy Country Home’s 8 acre retirement community to a 34 acre community with 114 cottages, a community center, assisted living for 20 residents, and commercial space. The first phase of this expansion project is scheduled to begin next year with the addition of 24 new cottages.
“We are pleased Mount Joy Country Homes, through its affiliation with Messiah Village, will be able to provide another option for older adults in the Mount Joy area,” commented Dr. Emerson Lesher, President of Messiah Village.
Mount Joy Country Homes offers local seniors a reasonably priced and maintenance-free lifestyle in a peaceful country atmosphere. Messiah Village has managed Mount Joy Country Homes for the last 10 years. Both non-profit organizations are ministries of the Brethren in Christ Church. Mount Joy Country Homes will maintain its name and will be governed by a separate board of directors appointed by the Messiah Village board of directors.
For information on the existing or new cottages at Mount Joy Country Homes, call 717-653-2356. Press inquiries: please contact Kristen Heisey, VP of Marketing & Communication at 717-697-4666.
Employee Spotlight
Kristen Heisey Joins Messiah Village
Messiah Village announces the hiring of Kristen Heisey as Vice President of Marketing and Communication. Heisey will direct the marketing and communication efforts at Messiah Village and oversee the Welcome Center.
“We are pleased to have Ms. Heisey in this newly created position. She will help bring a strategic marketing perspective to our executive team. This is a vital position to support our future growth initiatives,” commented Dr. Emerson Lesher, President of Messiah Village.
“As someone who is new to the field, Messiah Village is radically changing my perceptions of retirement and senior care. Messiah Village is a vibrant community that truly believes in continued growth for older adults through journeying inward, outward and together. I look forward to telling others about Messiah Village and focusing on continuing to grow the services offered to seniors in our region,” stated Heisey.
Prior to joining Messiah Village, Heisey worked as Marketing Director for PSECU in Harrisburg, PA. The York native is a graduate of Messiah College and Johns Hopkins University and has an extensive background in non-profit marketing.
Paula Johnson Joins Messiah Village's Therapy Department
Paula graduated from Susquehanna Township High School in Harrisburg. She received her Bachelors of Science degree in Physical Therapy from Temple University in Philadelphia, a Masters in Business Administration from Penn State in Middletown and a Geriatric Certification from the Geriatric Rehabilitation Education and Training Institute in Washington, DC.
Paula has worked in many areas of healthcare including trauma and burns, hospitals, and outpatients, but her love continues to be geriatrics. She has been solely in geriatrics for the past 10 years and is looking forward to many more years here at Messiah Village.
She has been married to Pierre for 18 years and has 3 children (Lawrence 15, Victoria 11, and Alyssa 3). She loves to read, garden, and sew (when she has the time). She spends a lot of time in her children’s activities these days instead. She is very active in her church and serves as an inductive bible study teacher.
Jim Kinsey Joins Messiah Village
Messiah Village announces the hiring of Jim Kinsey as Community Life Leader. Kinsey will help lead Messiah Village’s transformation to a person-centered, community-minded organization.
“We are excited to have Jim join our team. He will help create flexible systems and provide staff development that results in an environment where residents and team members are empowered to make decisions based on the unique needs and desires of each resident,” commented Dr. Emerson Lesher, President of Messiah Village.
“There has been a lot of talk in the long-term care industry about person-centered care. I am excited to join an organization that is committed to making major organizational changes in order to become more person-centered within a community setting. Living in a nursing home is real life for these residents. It’s their home where they should have a say in what they eat, what they do, and who they do it with,” stated Kinsey.
Prior to coming to Messiah Village, Kinsey worked as Senior Consultant and Director of Development for the Institute of Caregiver Education in Chambersburg, PA. In this role, he gained national recognition as an expert in the person-centered care movement.
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055